The Margate on Winnipesaukee, Laconia

My son and I have been going to Laconia annually for the past several years, however this was out first stay at the Margate. We will definitely be back there next year. The property is in a very central location, and the lake-front access is fantastic. There is also a lake-side gazebo restaurant and bar. There is an outdoor pool, which was a great alternative to the lake, since the water was in the low 60's. Our room was very nice; expected amenities and good size. All of the staff (desk, wait, housekeeping) were very friendly and attentive. One thing to be aware of (I wasn't) is the Margate is comprised of 3 separate buildings; 2 lakeside and one on the opposite side of the street. If you want the convenience of the outdoor pool, you will be across the street from the lake

Our room had a beautiful view of the lake. My husband and I drank champagne and sat on the dock/patio in the morning. We were all alone, very pretty and peaceful. I am looking forward to staying here again.

I am surprised this hotel had a single positive review. I was at the Margate during Labor Day weekend for a wedding and I thought the hotel was disgusting. To say the hotel is dated in an understatement. The bathroom was in bad need of an update, the shower curtain was stained and discolored, our carpet was literally disintegrating and there was a gross stain on my sisters bed spread. There was a foul odor that almost knocked you over when you entered the room. The “oversized whirlpool” had a film on the top of it that was scary. The continental breakfast was a joke. The bagels were as hard as a rock. How can you mess up bagels? This hotel is way overpriced. I would not pay more than $50 a night to stay there. Take the other reviewers suggestion and find another hotel in the area.

We were in the Laconia area for the Labor Day Weekend. We were looking for a place to stay for the evening. Most of the hotels in the area were booked. The Margate had rooms available. Now I know why. There was a wedding going on at this hotel. At about 2:00AM, we were awakened by screaming and people banging on the door next to us. The vulgar profanity was over the top. When we reported this to the office, they told us that it didn't happen. We had 3 little children with us on the trip. The next day when we were leaving, someone put a beer bottle under the wheel of our car. When we started to drive off, the bottle broke and glass caused a slow leak in our tire. We didn't notice it at first because it was a slow leak. It was a Sunday afternoon on a holiday weekend. I dropped my wife off back at the hotel to tell them what had happened. I immediately went searching for a garage to fix the tire. We wre heading home with 3 young children and didn't want to drive far on this tire. While I was out looking for a repair shop, my wife called me and told me what was happening back at the Margate. It seems one of the hotel office staff, Mr. Daniel Nina, told my wife that we had a new car and a broken bottle couldn't have caused the flat tire. Then he proceeded to tell her that it didn't happen on their property. My wife pointed out the broken glass in the parking lot. He was calling her a liar. He also told us that there was no noise in the hotel hallways at 2:00AM. She was quite upset at his rude manner. When I got back to the hotel, I addressed the situation with Mr. Nina. He had the same I don't care, nothing happened here attitude. He also didn't much care that we had a 100 mile trip ahead of us with 3 small children, and a damaged vehicle. I had AAA come and help with the tire, Thank goodness for them. This hotel, is old, the carpets smell, the rooms need updating. We spent 200.00 for one night here. The staff is rude, They don't care about families or their customers for that matter. Please do our family and yours a big favor and stay clear of this hotel. Thanks for reading this. I also see there are similar reviews from other past guests on this site.

Great time! Ashley was awesome!!! Only thing it was the holiday weekend and 2 rooms were rented but about 30 people were there during the day. We specifically rented a room that we could sit outside. A bit overwhelming, but they were respectful.

My 20 1/2 year old son and his girlfriend went to check into the Margate yesterday. I helped him make the reservation on line this week. I was familiar with the Margate and thought that it would be a nice, safe place for them to stay. Upon chekding in they were very rudley told that they could not stay at this resort because of their age and to try another hotel. They were 3 hours away from home with no place to stay. When I called to speak with the manager I was not allowed to speak with her and was told that it is a NH law that you needed to be 21 to stay at any hotel. Funny they drove up the street and was pleasantly greeted by the staff at the Mariot. Be careful of the VERY Rude staff at the Margate.

It was a pretty, clean hotel. The pricing was competitive and they had a nice complimentary breakfast. The staff were helpful and the room was a nice size. The only drawback to this hotel was that the buildings are not connected and you may have to walk from one to the other to use the pool or have breakfast.

A graceful and welcoming older property: lovingly maintained and improved and kept very clean. Knotty wood furniture combined with the sleek amenities (refrigerator, Keurig, wall-mount hairdryer) to create a pleasing, rustic-tinged informality in the rooms. As a former business traveler, I also appreciated the well-provisioned and promptly refreshed conference rooms. The event tent was appealing and comfortable even in inclement weather. There is an atmosphere of care, comfort and ease throughout; for example, the lobby, business center, restaurant, etc., are elegant enough to please city tastes while still seeming just the thing to find next to a lovely lake. The staff were cheerful, courteous and kind despite the challenges of an onsite conference catering to a much younger demographic than myself. My only difficulty, if it could be called that, was when my toilet did not at first flush. I quickly discovered that the chain had fallen from the lever inside the tank, replaced it, and all was well. The mechanism itself was modern, the water pressure excellent, and when I mentioned the incident the following morning so that maintenance could check it after my stay, they seemed about ready to race down the hall that very instant, just to be sure. I was actually startled at how quickly my room was made up each morning. This was my first stay; I look forward to returning to the Margate.

I just spent Thursday April 28th to Sunday May 1st at the Margate for a Harry Potter fan convention, Aeternitas 2011. I had the best time ever. My 2 friends & I stayed in the Inn, across the street from the main buildings. We had a really large room, which was excellent. The staff was so helpful. When I mentioned I had asked for a mini-fridge for the room, a staff member walked by & immediately got one for us. They also gave us extra sheets for our air mattress. They were so accomodating with the convention. The whole hotel was ours and they allowed the Con staff to decorate it completely into a Wizard wonderland. The staff even wore "Muggle" nametags. Special thanks go to the incredible bartender Ray Smith!!! He was the best! His drinks were incredible and his enthusiasm, helpfulness, and imagination were wonderful. He made it an even better experience than we could have hoped for. He thought up wonderful theme drinks, he went out of his way to make just the perfect "Butterbeer" and he was fun. He also paid attention to his customers and took care of those who had a rough day the next day. He even made his own wands & Harry Potter candies! The front desk staff were also very helpful and friendly. They gave us a discount card to the local pub, as well as directions. We also loved the property! It was gorgeous. The lake was breathtaking and all the buildings were perfect for the dances, Wizard Rock concerts, panels and classes, plus they offered a prefect Common Room up in the Lakeview building! The lawn was excellent too. It was just a great place and we cannot wait to go back. My friends and I are so impressed by the Margate that we want to visit during the season for a non-convention stay.

The accommodations were nice and the proximity to local restaurants and skiiing, especially Gunstock made it a good experience. My criticism are: have to slam hotel door to get it to close; loud wedding party one evening that sounded like it was in our room till about 11pm, so I would ask about reserved parties around the time of your reservation, and the cleaning service still had not come to clean the room or change linens at 4pm; the continental breakfast was a bit scarce as well.